Where does HiFi Fall on the Shortest Runs List?

It won't be on it.

There are literally hundreds of musicals in history that closed out of town, opened and closed in one night, or opened and ran less than a week. HIGH FIDELITY will have run two weeks by the time it closes -- making it far more "successful" than hundreds of other previous flops.

Now, if you want to make a list of shows from say the last 15 to 20 years or so -- when producers have rarely closed a flop on opening night and have often kept pumping money into doomed shows for weeks and even months at a time to no avail -- then HIGH FIDELITY might be in the top 20 or so.

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Noted. Thanks, Margo. You are, as always, a font of theatrical knowledge.

Some of the other short runs of the decade:

Bobbi Boland (0 -- closed in previews)
The Confederate Widow Tells All (1)
Prymate (5)
More To Love (5)
Blonde in the Thunderbird (9)
Macbeth w/ Kelsey Grammar (13)
Jackie Mason's Laughing Room Only (14)

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I think that High Fidelity will have had the shortest run for a musical this decade with only 14 performances. (Amour had 17 performances.) I was a little surprised to hear that HiFi was closing so quickly, since someone once said on the board the show has to be open for at least 3 weeks in order for the original producers to share in any future royalties (I have no idea whether that's actually true). High Fidelity is also a little unusual in being somewhat troubled but still having a relatively short preview period of only 18 previews (Amour had 31 and Times/Changin' had 35).

What are some shows that have overcome unimpressive advance sales and poor reviews to still be financially successful? I can't think of any off the top of my head, although I can think of plenty of examples of shows that tried to stick it out but didn't do any better financially (Good Vibrations, Urban Cowboy, etc).

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Updated On: 12/12/06 at 11:22 PM

Shortest Original Musical Runs on Broadway (of the new Milennium):
High Fidelity (14)
Amour (17)
One Mo' Time (21)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (21)
Times They Are a Changin' (2
Squonk (32)
Lestat (39)
Marie Christine (42)
Lennon (49)
Look of Love (49)

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MARIE CHRISTINE was a limited run.

Did it close early or was it only supposed to be around for 42 performances (in which case it doesn't count on the list).

It's a shame to see some of the shows on that list.

Mikem- The Wiz is a show that overcame relatively poor reviews/advanced sale to become a big hit!

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MARIE CHRISTINE was a limited engagement at the not-for-profit Lincoln Center that simply didn't extend, so it shouldn't be on the list.

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Thanks Margo for the info on Laughing Room Only!

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Using the Playbill.com archives, it looks like Marie Christine was actually extended a week from the original closing date of its limited run, although the original schedule was a longer preview period than actual performances (39 previews and 34 performances -- ended up with 42 performances), which is somewhat odd.

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It's really sad how many of those musicals have had Jen Colella in them. Not that it's any reflection on her (I think she's wonderful) but the major four musicals she's been involved in recently have been Urban Cowboy, Ring of Fire, The Times They Are A- Changin', and High Fidelity. Poor Jen Colella

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Did not The Secret Garden, great a rave from Rich in the Times?

Always thought that he loved it.

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